


Screens

by thots_tochter



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Dark, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-04
Updated: 2019-01-04
Packaged: 2019-10-04 04:44:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17298014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thots_tochter/pseuds/thots_tochter
Summary: All she can do is watch...





	Screens

**Author's Note:**

> **Beta:** TurelieTelcontar. Thank you very much!
> 
> **A/N:** This little piece was inspired by the speech, Hotch gives Strauss at the end of the second season’s final episode “No way out – The Evilution of Frank”, where he says about Penelope, that she “fills her office with figurines and colour to remind herself to smile as the horror fills her screens” and when I received a picture with a dark room and lots of computer screens as a writing prompt, I almost immediately had this picture of Penelope sitting in her office, staring at her screens in my mind. I never intended it to get quite so dark, but I hope there are still some people who might enjoy it.
> 
> I apologise in advance for any errors in canon or language, since I haven’t watched an episode of Criminal Minds in quite some time and English is not my native language.

# “Screens”

 

Penelope sits in her dark office and stares at the screens in front of her. Silent. Unblinking.

She loves her screens. They are her safety net, the shields that protect her. When the horrors that fill them become too much, they allow her to pretend it’s not real. It’s only on the screens. They distance her from the world outside. It’s their blessing – and their curse. Because all she can do is sit and watch.

Watch, as the young woman tries to free herself from the chain that ties her to the ground.  
Watch, as the water rises, slowly but surely.  
Watch, as she gets up on her knees, then her feet, and finally her tiptoes.  
Watch, as the chain gets tense.  
Watch, as she pulls her head back, desperate to keep her face out of the water.  
Watch, as the gentle waves lap over her mouth, then her nose.  
Watch, as the water submerges her completely.  
Watch, as she struggles against the merciless chain one last time.  
Watch, as she finally goes limp.  
Watch, as the last bubbles break the now still surface.  
Watch, as she dies.

Penelope knows, her guys are out there, rushing towards the young woman’s prison. They will be too late. Just as she has been too late.

“I’m sorry.”

She touches the screen where the last bubble has risen, and her only comfort is that this woman’s death won’t go unnoticed. She will bear witness to it till the end of her life.

 

*** FIN ***


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